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We reviewed 13 cases of verrucous carcinoma, accounting for 5 per cent of the penile cancers seen during a 25-year interval. Although the typical verrucous pattern predominated minute foci of invasive squamous carcinoma were identified in 3 patients. All patients were followed for at least 6 years and none has died of the malignancy. Wide surgical excision, usually requiring partial or total penectomy, is the treatment of choice.

We have used blood withdrawn electively and frozen for later use by the donor in 25 patients with bladder cancer who were treated by preoperative irradiation and radical cystectomy. Patients donated 1 to 5 units of blood (average 3.4 per patient). We transfused 10 patients with only autologous blood, whereas 15 required some homologous blood in addition to their own banked blood. The program was well tolerated and repeated blood donation did not compromise the effectiveness of preoperative irradiation. Our preliminary data show that this program reduces the dependence on volunteer donor homologous blood transfusions for cystectomy, thus, decreasing the potential risk of an adverse reaction and avoiding seasonal blood bank shortages.

A caput medusae developing around an ileal conduit stoma heralded the onset of portal hypertension and recurrent episodes of massive stomal bleeding in a patient with liver cirrhosis. A review of the literature suggests that conservative local measures remain the treatment of choice in the high risk cirrhotic patient.